Indicator for hat-boxes



(No Model.)

S. B. GROVE.

INDIGATOR FOR HAT BOXES.

No. 346,474. Patented Aug. 3, 1886.

WITNESSES Zwama@ ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS4 Phow-Llmognphur. wuningwn. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT Erica.

SHEPHERD B. GROVE, OF URBANA, OHIO.

INDICATOR FOR HATn-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 346,474, dated August3, 1886.

Application filed September 11, 1885. Serial No. 176,770. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, SHEPHERD B. GROVE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Urbana, in the county of Champaign and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators forHat-Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear,and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, like letters of referencereferring to like parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, Figurel is a front elevation of my device;Fig. 2, a section on line ma, Fig. l; andFig. 3, asection of amodiication of the device.

The invention relates, primarily, to indicators for hat-boxes; but it isobvious that the device can be applied to boxes and drawers containingother articles of merchandise.

The object of the device is to present a ready means for ascertainingata glance the contents of'a hat-box, and thus save time and labor.

To this end it consists in a plate provided with a card or tag receiverto denote the style or make of the contained article, and one or moremovable disks, by means of which the sizes or sets may be exposed orconcealed, as required.

By referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that thedevice consists of a'plate, D, of metal, pasteboard, or other suitablematerial. At the top there are two side flanges, g, and a bottom ange,f, into which is placed a removable card or tag, G, indicating the styleof hat or contained article and the cost thereof, as well as any othersuitable mark of reference. Below the angef, and on plate D, I haveprovided circular flanges c, which are struck up, and beneath whichflanges disks A are moved. These disks are cut away so as to leave halfpartially open to expose the plate. lIhe other half is left whole toconceal the plate, the segmental openings O being separated by an arm,d. On the face of the plate D, and preferably in the quadrants of theupper half of the plate, so as to be seen through the segments C of thedisk or concealed by the lower part of the disk, are placed or made thefigures indicative of the sizes contained in the box. Usually inhat-boxes there are six sizes,

and these are indicated in the drawings, as in Fig. 1.

Suppose the size six and three-fourths is exhausted; then the disk ismoved to the right until the closedportion of the disk covers thisnumber. It' size six and seven-eighths are all sold, the disk is turnedto the left in the same manner, and if both sizes be exhausted, then thedisk is turned so as to conceal both sets of gures. A glance at a boxwill thus show whether a given size of a certain manufacture iscontained within the box without the necessity of opening the box.

The disk A is made convex at or near the center, as shown in Figs. 2 and3, so as to give spring to the disk and exert a slight but even pressureof friction along the outer edge beneath flange c.

In order to hold the disk in a fixed position, I have a projection orprojections, p, Fig. 2, on the under side of the disk, which enter arecess or depression in the plate. I provide four depressions in theplate, as atl2 34, Fig. l, into which the projection (or projections)will enter as the disk is turned; or the disk may have a depression ordepressions and the plate the projections, as shown in Fig. 3. rlhedisks are secured to the plate by means of the central rivet, a.

In order to easily move the disks, Iprovide each of them with a smallbutton, a, which will preferably be struck up and made integral with thedisk. It may, however, be secured in any suitable way. The plate D,which is of thin material and iiexible, is secured to the box or drawerby means of apaper-tack, e, inserted in a slot, d, for the purpose. Thematerial is light, and the device is not only easily stamped up andcheaply made, but can be quickly attached or detached, as required.

Generally the boxes in use are made of pasteboard or paper-board, and insuch cases it would be preferable to have the angesf, g, and c struck upon or from the side of the box. The disk need only be made separate inthis instance. rIhis can also be done with other paper boxes, such asglove and shoe boxes. This will be done whenever the material willeconomically permit. In all other instances the plate D will bemanufactured as just described.

Having thus described my invention, what I IOO claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters' Patent, is

`1. An indicator for boxes, consisting of a plate provided with flangesfor an indicating4- card, circular flanges for a disk or disks, indiceson the plate for the contents of the box, and a movable disk out away toexpose or conceal the indices, and means for securing the indicator tothe box, as set forth.

2. In an indicator7 the combination, with the plate D, having flangesfor an indicatingcard, a circular flange for a disk, and depressions andindices within the circular Yflange, of a movable disk partially cutaway to show or conceal the indices, and having a projection forentering the depressions in the plate, as set forth.

SHEPHERD B. GROVE.

Witnesses:

J. F. EIOHELBERGER, I. H. MoDoNALD.

